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The Arabian Nights Entertainments — Volume 03 by Anonymous
page 71 of 492 (14%)
fixed on queen Labe, the old man turned towards him, and taking
him by the arm, presented him to her: "Madam," said he, "I beg of
your majesty once more to remember he is my nephew, and to let
him come and see me sometimes." The queen promised he should; and
to give a further mark of her gratitude, she caused a bag of a
thousand pieces of gold to be given him. He excused himself at
first from receiving them, but she insisted absolutely upon it,
and he could not refuse. She had caused a horse to be brought as
richly caparisoned as her own, for the king of Persia. Whilst he
was mounting, "I forgot," said the queen to Abdallah, "to ask you
your nephew's name; pray how is he called?" He answering his name
was Beder (the full moon), her majesty replied, "Surely your
ancestors were mistaken, they ought to have given you the name of
Shems (the sun)."

When King Beder was mounted, he would have taken his station
behind the queen, but she would not suffer him, and made him ride
on her left hand. She looked at Abdallah, and after having made
him an inclination with her head, departed.

Instead of observing a satisfaction in the people's faces, at the
sight of their sovereign, King Beder took notice that they looked
at her with contempt, and even cursed her. "The sorceress," said
some, "has got a new subject to exercise her wickedness upon;
will heaven never deliver the world from her tyranny?" "Poor
stranger!" exclaimed others, "thou art much deceived, if thou
thinkest thy happiness will last long. It is only to render thy
fall more terrible, that thou art raised so high." These
exclamations gave King Beder to understand Abdallah had told him
nothing but the truth of Queen Labe; but as it now depended no
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